Spending – WWAY TV3http://www.wwaytv3.com
Covering Local News, Weather and Sports in Wilmington, NCSat, 10 Dec 2016 02:53:50 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.199503049Report: US spending 75% of billion-dollar IT budget on aging computer systemshttp://www.wwaytv3.com/2016/05/25/report-us-spending-75-of-billion-dollar-it-budget-on-aging-computer-systems/
http://www.wwaytv3.com/2016/05/25/report-us-spending-75-of-billion-dollar-it-budget-on-aging-computer-systems/#respondThu, 26 May 2016 01:41:01 +0000http://www.wwaytv3.com/?p=341166A troubling new report from the Government Accountability Office has found that the US government last year spent 75 percent of its technology budget to maintain aging computers, including one system for US nuclear forces that is more than 50 years old.]]>

A troubling new report from the Government Accountability Office has found that the US government last year spent 75 percent of its technology budget to maintain aging computers, including one system for US nuclear forces that is more than 50 years old.

According to the report, which was released today, while the US government invested more than $80 billion on information technology last year, much of the money — 75 percent or $60 billion — was spent operating and maintaining aging systems. The report said the other 25 percent was used for new development.

“Legacy federal IT investments are becoming obsolete,” the report said.

“These poor people that work there. They’re coming to work with their iPhones and then working on a system that was developed literally in the 1950s or maybe the 1960s,” said US Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah.

Those systems consist of museum-like computers as well as floppy disks that are being used for vital programs, from Social Security to nuclear weapons, according to the GAO.

David Powner, a GAO information technology expert, told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee today at a hearing that billions were being “wasted.”

At least one agency told ABC News today that major changes were on their way.

The Air Force’s Strategic Automated Command and Control System — which supports the Air Force’s ICBM missile fleet and dates back to the 1970s — started using floppy disks in 1988 and has continued using them. Floppy disks are still used “because it accomplished the required tasks we used the system for, meaning it would have been fiscally unnecessary to make the change,” said Capt. Christopher Mesnard, a spokesman for the Air Force Global Strike Command.

The report said that the Defense Department was still using 8-inch floppy disks to store information. About 3 million floppy disks could store the same information as the average flash drive — and cost about $7.5 million less.

“You have to think that just one good trip to Best Buy, you’d be better off than what you’re doing now,” Chaffetz said. “Making this sea change, this massive change, is tough but it’s about time. … These are vulnerable systems.”

The Air Force is already transitioning to a new SD card and reader system to replace the floppy and drive system. The new system is smaller and will “alleviate anticipated growing costs associated with maintaining the obsolete floppy system,” Mesnard said.

Chaffetz said many of the systems also lacked data encryption and dual authentication.

“When I was a little kid, I was watching movies that had these 8-inch floppy disks and they’re still being used,” Chaffetz said. “I don’t even know where they buy these things.”

“We’re taking kids graduating with degrees in information technology and dumbing them down so they can learn what they were doing back in 1960,” Chaffetz said.

ABC News’ Mary Bruce and The Associated Press contributed to this story.

]]>http://www.wwaytv3.com/2016/05/25/report-us-spending-75-of-billion-dollar-it-budget-on-aging-computer-systems/feed/0341166Early-session spending bill gets final NC legislative OKhttp://www.wwaytv3.com/2015/03/31/early-session-spending-bill-gets-final-nc-legislative-ok/
http://www.wwaytv3.com/2015/03/31/early-session-spending-bill-gets-final-nc-legislative-ok/#respondTue, 31 Mar 2015 06:25:46 +0000http://dev.wwaytv3.com/2015/03/31/early-session-spending-bill-gets-final-nc-legislative-ok/RALEIGH, NC (AP) — Legislation filed early this session to locate funds for an academic standards panel and to adjust other parts of North Carolina state government spending is finally heading to Gov. Pat McCrory’s desk.

The Senate gave final legislative approval Monday night to an agreement with the House last week. The House had already voted for the compromise measure.

The bill locates $275,000 to operate the committee recommending changes by the end of 2015 to what’s known as Common Core. This year’s budget approved last summer didn’t include specific funds for the panel.

The two chambers also give $50,000 in education funds to a rule-making body to defend itself in a lawsuit against the State Board of Education. The measure also ensures regulators have funds to help clean up coal ash ponds.

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

]]>http://www.wwaytv3.com/2015/03/31/early-session-spending-bill-gets-final-nc-legislative-ok/feed/089697More changes from NC House for NC clean-up spending billhttp://www.wwaytv3.com/2015/03/03/more-changes-from-nc-house-for-nc-clean-up-spending-bill/
http://www.wwaytv3.com/2015/03/03/more-changes-from-nc-house-for-nc-clean-up-spending-bill/#respondTue, 03 Mar 2015 06:37:11 +0000http://dev.wwaytv3.com/2015/03/03/more-changes-from-nc-house-for-nc-clean-up-spending-bill/RALEIGH, NC (AP) — The Senate’s cleanup spending bill for the remainder of North Carolina government’s fiscal year is making its way through the House, but not without more changes.

The House gave tentative approval Monday night for legislation locating $275,000 within the Department of Public Instruction to help a panel changing academic standards, particularly Common Core.

But an amendment deleted drawing another $100,000 from the department to pay lawyers for a rule-making body in litigation filed by the State Board of Education. Amendment sponsor Rep. Paul Stam says parts of the lawsuit requiring more legal expense have been dismissed.

The measure ensures funds associated with cleaning up coal ash ponds pays for state regulators. It also tries to ease last year’s tougher standards placed unintentionally on owners of dams unrelated to ash ponds.

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

]]>http://www.wwaytv3.com/2015/03/03/more-changes-from-nc-house-for-nc-clean-up-spending-bill/feed/088630Early-session spending bill approved by NC Senatehttp://www.wwaytv3.com/2015/02/05/early-session-spending-bill-approved-nc-senate/
http://www.wwaytv3.com/2015/02/05/early-session-spending-bill-approved-nc-senate/#respondWed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000RALEIGH, NC (AP) — The state Senate supports making spending changes to help a panel reviewing public school academic standards do its work and so a rule-making body can defend itself in a lawsuit against the State Board of Education.

The chamber voted Wednesday in favor of a bill that locates $275,000 to operate the committee recommending changes by the end of the year to Common Core. The vote was 38-11.

Some Democrats remain opposed to moving the state away from Common Core, which has been approved by dozens of states.

The measure now heading to the House also takes $100,000 from the State Board of Education to the Rules Review Commission for legal expenses. The education board sued the rules commission, and legislative leaders are siding with the rules panel.

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

]]>http://www.wwaytv3.com/2015/02/05/early-session-spending-bill-approved-nc-senate/feed/054630NC Senate budget-writers roll out early spending billhttp://www.wwaytv3.com/2015/02/03/nc-senate-budget-writers-roll-out-early-spending-bill/
http://www.wwaytv3.com/2015/02/03/nc-senate-budget-writers-roll-out-early-spending-bill/#respondWed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000RALEIGH, NC (AP) — Top Senate budget-writers have written an early-session spending bill that in part seeks to ensure a panel drafting new academic standards for North Carolina’s public schools has money to perform its work.

The bill filed Monday directs the Department of Public Instruction to transfer $275,000 to help the panel, which was created last year. The current state budget omitted details on money for the commission, which is designed to rewrite math and reading standards that currently follow Common Core.

The measure also tells the State Board of Education to give $100,000 to the Rules Review Commission so the commission can defend itself in a lawsuit the education board filed against it. The bill also clarifies funding for the state to oversee coal ash cleanup.

The Senate budget-writing committee meets Tuesday.

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

]]>http://www.wwaytv3.com/2015/02/03/nc-senate-budget-writers-roll-out-early-spending-bill/feed/054586Study says teen choose food over fashionhttp://www.wwaytv3.com/2014/04/16/study-says-teen-choose-food-over-fashion/
http://www.wwaytv3.com/2014/04/16/study-says-teen-choose-food-over-fashion/#respondWed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000Teens these days are forking over the cash for food instead of clothes. Tacos over tees, pizza over pants, and drinks over dresses. For the first time in more than 13 years, teens choose food over fashion. That's according to a study released earlier this month by Piper Jaffary.]]>WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Teens these days are forking over the cash for food instead of clothes.

Tacos over tees, pizza over pants, and drinks over dresses. For the first time in more than 13 years, teens choose food over fashion. That’s according to a study released earlier this month by Piper Jaffary.

“I know I definitely buy a lot more food than I do clothes,” teen Maggie Wessinger said.

And restaurants are the new mall, the study says.

In 2007 teens visited the mall an average of 38 times per year. In 2014 it was just 29 times per year.

Jacob Ouellette say this is because clothes are more expensive now than they were in the past.

“It’s not really that fun just to go walk around the mall when you can’t really buy anything,” Ouellette said.

He says the bad economy, plus fewer jobs means teens are spending less and saving more.

“It’s hard to find a job right now for a lot of kids our age around here,” Ouellette said. “I have a job at Food Lion but I know a lot of my friends don’t have a job anywhere. You can’t really go spend a lot of money on clothes and things like that when you don’t have any money.”

Other teens say when it comes down to it; they need food more than they need new clothes.

“I’ve gotten a little bit more broke coming to college, so I have less money on me all the time,” Alex Brownlee said. “So, it’s just easier to spend it at like Cook-Out for $5 when I’m hungry versus buying a shirt for $30 or something.”

Free Wi-Fi is another reason Brownlee says teens are flocking to restaurants rather than the mall.

“Everybody is trying to be on the internet, so it really is convenient to have your laptop in Starbucks and hang out with like four people and drink coffee,” Brownlee explained.